Chore

1989-90

oil on canvas

40 x 90 inches

Chore is from my LA days. Our human past, recorded at the Le Brea tar pits, got me to reuse my sketchbook drawings of human skulls made in the early 80’s at Cambridge University’s Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.

Teeth are bare bones, exposed when aching remind one of life and mortality. Even in the city of angels a contemporary man still has a distant past and therefore to shrug off this past equals fake. Needless to say, this painting was never exhibited.

At that time, I used to make other paintings in the garage next door to my home.  I sold them in a restaurant down the street through an interior designer. There, at the restaurant, I had my solo shows and also group exhibitions with David Hockney, John Baldessari and Andy Warhol among many others. On one occasion I got a phone call to have lunch with Martin Scorsese and David Geffen, surrounded by my work. They put me in a show, a fundraiser for AIDS in which we raised $100,000 selling art.

Chore

Haagen Dazs

Reproduction

Lamb White Days

Hollywood’s Waste

Agitate

Campaign Salt Ad

Vacant Mankind